The Way We Shop
by frilencer
Summary: A relationship doesn't only consist of love and sex. There is a time when you also need to eat, but this can be a problem if the fridge is empty. Then it's probably better to go shopping.


**I got the idea for this fanfiction while doing shopping with my mother. I wrote it just for fun, as a present to my friend Mathilde, but I kind of like the outcome so here it is :)**

**Do I need to say that I own nothing?**

They had been together for a week and, apart from the time they spent at work, the only thing they did was enjoying their newly obtained closeness. Since the first day, two things were their main occupations: making love and cuddling on the couch while watching a movie.

Makin love was of course great: every night, before actually sleeping, they would kiss each other and fall into a vortex of feelings and emotions that dragged them away from the surrounding reality, plunging them into a new world made of love and passion. Tony couldn't even remember what it was like only a week before: he was getting used to touching Ziva like that, he already knew most of her body by heart, as if it had always belonged to him. He knew every scar on her skin, he knew everything about her curves and features, he knew all the moles on her back and the bruises on her belly. Every night he greeted her tattoo as an old friend and enjoyed passing his finger on it, and she would smile at him, laughing a little with amusement, but also struck by the tenderness of his gesture. In a week, he had got to know every detail of her and it sounded impossible to him that it had only been that, a week, no more than seven simple days that could have just been seven normal days if he hadn't kissed her the previous week.

However, sometimes Tony couldn't believe of what was happening to them. It still seemed like a dream: he couldn't believe he had the right to touch her just like he had never been allowed to do before; he couldn't believe he could kiss her, put his lips on her neck, feel her warmth under his hand, make her shiver with a simple touch. He couldn't believe they had gotten so close in just a week.

Tony thought that it was because they were doing something they had been longing to do for a long time. They had gotten hungry as time passed and now they needed to feed their starving hearts with all the love they could get from the other. Tony was amazed by how easy it was being with Ziva: he had thought it would be much more difficult to get closer to her like that, but after the first moments of embarrassment and timidity, they had let themselves go. They had shared moments of unstoppable passion, other moments of wonderful tenderness and they had learnt to trust the other more than they had ever done before with anyone. They felt secure, they felt like they could just be themselves.

The more they made love, the more they learnt to become a single entity that they couldn't wait to join again. They made love at night, in the morning, whenever they found a little time to do it. It was beautiful and neither of them wanted that flow of feelings and chills to stop: they felt like a new life had started for them and they wanted to enjoy every moment of it, every little detail, every emotion they could get from it.

Besides making love, they also enjoyed just being near each other. When they came back from work, they sat on the couch and ordered some Chinese food or a pizza or anything they felt like eating: they didn't care much about the food anyway. They ate while chatting, then they watched a movie from Tony's DVDs collection and they laughed and talked to each other, smiling more than usual, in a new way, a way that made her face shine and his eyes beam. The first night they had spent on the couch like that, he had put his arm around her waist and he had brought her closer to his body, pressing hers onto his skin, feeling her warmth and her enjoyable smell. She hadn't protested nor pulled away and that had become the position they would adopt every time they sat on the couch. There was nothing too romantic in that gesture, nothing that would make them blush or feel awkward. It was just a beautiful way to stay close and they both loved it.

However, as time passed, as the days ran one after the other, it was getting obvious that they couldn't go on like that. She was always at his place and they were always eating the same junk food: there was no other kind of life besides them, there was nothing else than the other in their little world. This situation could last a week, but soon the house would need a cleaning and the fridge a refill. Tony didn't know how to deal with the issue: he didn't want her to feel like he was pushing her away if he would tell her that he needed time to take care of the house and to stock up on food. So he kept postponing the moment when he would tell her, inadvertently causing her to talk about the problem first.

It was a Saturday morning. The first thing Tony noticed when he woke up was that the side of the bed next to his was empty: it would have been normal for the Tony of a week before, but it wasn't normal now, especially since that side of the bed was obviously unmade. He sat on the bed and grabbed a pair of boxers from the bed, taking a quick glance at the sheets that were crumpled, witnessing what had been going on in that bed (and, broadly speaking, in the whole house) during the past week. He got up and walked toward the kitchen, without anything to cover his torso. He found her there: she was standing next to the fridge and from his position he could only see her back. She was wearing one of the t-shirts he had let her borrow: it was way too large for her slim body, but she looked very sexy in it – and this was totally one of the reasons why he had lent it to her.

Tony got closer to Ziva, hoping to surprise her by putting his arms around her waist and placing a kiss on her neck. Unfortunately for him, Ziva's personal inner alarm ruined his plans, alerting her of his presence: she turned as soon as he took one step and she immediately smiled at him in an amused way.

"You are finally awake. I have been for three hours," she said, trying to had her amusement behind a fake annoyed tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not used to waking up at five in the morning," he replied, taking a few steps toward Ziva, smirking at her. When he was in front of her, he put his hands around his waist and pulled her closer, while kissing her tenderly. He lingered on her lips only for few seconds, then he pulled away, with a playful smile on his lips. "So, what did you do while I was enjoying a few hours of rest?"

She frowned and made a funny expression, the same expression she always wore when she wanted her unexpressed answer to be surrounded by an air of mystery.

"Did you go running?" Tony tried to guess.

"No," Ziva answered, smiling.

"Watch a movie?"

"No."

"Read a book?"

"There aren't any books here."

Tony hinted at a laugh. "Yeah, you're right. So… what? Did you cook?"

"There is nothing to cook with either." She turned at him for a moment, without letting her smile drop. "And… - she emphasized the "and" speaking loudly and bending her head a little, "there is no coffee either, so I guess we are going to have to go out for breakfast."

Tony frowned, surprised. "The coffee is gone too…?"

"Yes."

"Oh." He hadn't thought about the coffee. He knew he had run out of milk, salad, bread and Nutella, but he didn't know about the coffee.

"I guess I'll go buy it, then…" Tony concluded, shrugging.

Ziva laughed slightly. "There are a lot of things you have to buy, Tony…"

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "Milk, salad, bread and Nutella."

Ziva nodded. "Among the other things." She smirked and made a funny and adorable expression and Tony had to control himself not to jump onto her and kiss her passionately. Instead, he only said, "It's not my fault, I got pretty distracted in the past week."

Ziva laughed, amused. "Distracted?"

"In a positive way," he replied, with a teasing light in his eyes.

Ziva nodded and smiled. "Anyway, you should really go buy some food. On the other hand, I should go to my place and see what I have to do. I have not been there for a week, and…"

"You went there every morning to pick up some new clothing," Tony pointed out, without even trying to stop smiling. She had this incredible ability to raise a sun on his face that could never die.

"Yes, I did. But… I have a lot to do, anyway. I have to clean, I have to buy something to eat…"

"Wait. Why would you need something to eat?" Tony protested, interrupting her. Ziva remained still, with her mouth half opened, a little shocked by his question.

She looked at him confused, then she asked, "Apart from the fact that food is necessary to survive, which means that I'll die if I don't have anything to eat?"

"Yes, I mean, no… I mean…" Tony stuttered, confused by her question just like she had been by his. That was not what he meant. He looked at her intensely and said, "You always eat at my place. You come here for dinner, you have breakfast here, since you stay here for the night… and I was thinking… we could have lunch together today, and tomorrow too if you want, so…"

He stopped, a little intimidated by Ziva's silence. She was staring at him and he hoped she would understand what he meant. Once again, he wasn't good with words. He just wanted her to know that he didn't want to rush things, yet he didn't want to waste time either. They had been chasing after each other for years and now he just wanted to enjoy every second they had. He couldn't think of a reason why she would need to spend some time alone at her apartment and he would need to stay alone at his when they could just spend some time together. He knew Ziva didn't spend much time out when they weren't together, so he was quite sure she hadn't any other plans apart from the ones that involved him. The point was, there was no need for her to buy food because they could just eat together just like there was no need for them to be alone when they could be together.

Tony felt Ziva's eyes on him and he looked back at her, hoping she would realize how much spending that weekend with her would mean to him. He didn't want to let her go.

At last, she spoke, and Tony sighed of relief inside when she did. "Okay," she simply stated, without letting her serious expression go. Her whole face was concentrated, still, a little intimidating and not exactly comforting.

"Okay?" he asked confused, trying to understand what she was exactly agree with.

"Yes, okay," she repeated, smiling, while the features of her face relaxed. "Okay, we will have lunch together today." She paused for a moment and smirked. "And tomorrow."

He smiled brightly, reassured and deeply happy. "Perfect."

"But… - and her "but" hit him like a punch because he was scared it would bring something bad – "but, since there is nothing to eat…" she shrugged, then she concluded, "we will have to go shopping."

"Together?" he asked amused, frowning, drawing a smirk on his lips.

"Together."

They looked at each other for some moments and Tony struggled to burst into laughter.

"Anyway," Ziva said eventually, "we are going to my apartment after lunch."

"You want to spend the night there…?"

"No. There is some cheese in the fridge that is near to its expiration date, so we have to bring it here."

* * *

><p>There they were. Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, two people who had risked their lives' to save the other, two people who had shared moments of fear, anger, deep trust and love, two people who had been through the hell… there they were, together, in front of a supermarket. Tony couldn't define the situation as anything else but "weird": it was weird to be going to do something so normal with her; it was weird to be going to do something they had always done alone… together. It was weird and very far from what Tony had thought being together would be like. His fantasies had flown around making love, cuddling on the couch, teasing the other, laughing to tears. Now they were about to enter a supermarket together and it was far beyond what he had imagined. Yet, he was convinced it would be fun; after all, if he truly wanted to be with her, that was a part of the deal. You don't get the love, you don't get the cuddles, you don't get the sex without getting carts, prices and special offers.<p>

When Tony and Ziva walked past the entrance door, they exchanged a quick look. Tony noticed the flash of amusement that had crossed Ziva's eyes, telling him that she was just as entertained as him.

"So… where are we going first?" Ziva asked, looking around the place. Tony was too distracted though, he kept staring at her, amazed by the strange situation they were in.

"Hey," she called, and he woke up from his thoughts, shaking his head a little.

"Uh, yeah, what were you saying?" he asked, smiling widely.

She looked at him sternly, with a threatening but amused look in her eyes. "I said, where are we going first?"

"Uh…" he looked around, thinking about an answer. "Well, we've run out of Nutella, so…"

"Apart from that."

Tony shrugged. "I don't know, let's go and find what we need…"

They walked for a while, silently. Around them, people with kids and carts were grabbing potatoes and packs of salad from the shelves, living a normal Saturday morning of shopping. It felt so strange to walk together in such a normal reality, a reality that seemed not to suit to them. It felt embarrassing, somehow, and Tony didn't know what to do. He didn't want to feel that way with her and he regretted for a moment the decision of going shopping with her. The thing was, she had always belonged to a reality distant from the real world: when they weren't together, she belonged to the little world he lived in at work, a world that seemed to disappear when he entered his home; now that they were together, she had turned his house into their little Heaven, into their own world, so different from the real world that was waiting for them just outside the window. Tony was scared to mix all these worlds in a single reality, yet he knew he had to do it: he didn't want to live his relationship with Ziva as if it were a dream. He had wanted her and he wanted her because he felt she could be the woman he needed in his life, and he now knew that life wasn't only made of love and sex, but also by the simple little things of everyday. He wanted to share those simple little things with her, he really did; but this didn't make it any easier for him to deal with that situation.

Tony could feel his and Ziva's embarrassment that was floating in the air around them. He wanted to make her feel comfortable next to him, but as a first thing he had to try to feel comfortable next to her.

"So, what would you like for vegetables?" he asked, and the question sounded so weird spoken with Tony's voice that Ziva couldn't help burst into laughter. She shook her head and looked away from him, trying to avoid the odd expression on his face.

"I do not really know," she said, without stopping smiling.

"You're not helping, David," he said, pronouncing the sound "ee" a little too long just like he always did.

Ziva went back looking at him, this time with her eyes half-closed, just like as if she was threatening him. "What do you want?"

"Me?" Tony hinted at a laugh. "I don't want to buy vegetables."

"We have to, though."

"So which ones?"

"You choose."

"_You_ choose."

There was a moment of silence. "We are not going anywhere like this," Ziva huffed. They stood in silence for awhile, looking at each other. Suddenly, Tony spoke with a loud voice, causing Ziva to start. "Okay, listen. What do we want? Pasta?"

"Okay," she said, looking at him with an intrigued expression.

"So we neeeeeeeed," he extended the vocal again, "pasta, sauce, pepperoni, cheese-"

"I have cheese in my fridge," she reminded him.

"Right." He nodded. "Then, what else? Let's seeeee…" He walked away, looking around as if he were trying to find inspiration in other people's carts. Ziva stared at him a little shocked, yet amused, with a smile that refused to die on her lips and in her eyes. He was the only one who could make her smile like that and Tony knew that and every time he turned to look at her and saw her smile, he felt happy.

"Then we need some salad," and he grabbed a pack of salad. Ziva reached him, shaking her head, laughing.

"Okay, okay, then what?" she asked.

"Well, come on. Here's the pasta, _and _the sauce."

They walked through the corridors of the supermarket, grabbing things from the shelves while announcing what they had to take next. When they reached the breakfast department, Tony took a funny box with bears on it.

"What is that?" Ziva asked, pointing at the box.

"Cereal," Tony replied simply, shaking the box a little, causing the cereal to make their usual sound as they were thrown around the inside of the box.

"Cereal," Ziva repeated. "Cereal… for kids," she observed.

"Yeah, they're good."

Ziva laughed. "Okay."

"You have to taste them! They're great!" he protested, thinking she wasn't convinced.

"I said okay, okay," she repeated again, smiling widely. Tony observed her trying to figure out her thoughts. "I will taste them," she agreed, nodding a little.

"Okay," he said, smiling back at her, still investigating her expression. When she escaped his gaze, he followed her with his eyes. "Do you think this is a childish thing?" he asked eventually, while she was having her back to him. Ziva turned and stared at him.

"Well… it is, kind of." She smiled lightly. "But it is also quite…" she stopped for a moment, trying to find the right word, "… cute."

"Cute?"

"Cute."

Tony hinted at a smile, visibly relieved. "Nice, so… would you find it _cute_ if I bought Nutella and ice-cream too?" He moved closer to where she was standing and took a jar of Nutella from the shelves.

"Yes, I love Nutella," she said, following him with her gaze.

"Perfect."

"Perfect."

"And I think we have to buy toilet paper too."

As time passed, they were finding each other more and more comfortable in the situation. Just like Tony had thought, it was fun. It was letting him discover a new side of Ziva, a side that had been hidden from him for too long. He wanted to get to know everything about this Ziva now: he wanted to explore every side of her, even the ones that she tried to hide from everyone. He was like discovering her again, falling in love with her all over again. It was a part of Ziva he had never seen – the Ziva he had in front of his eyes talked about cereal and Nutella and salad instead of guns, suspects, crimes – and it could have been something he wouldn't like; but he did, he did like her, he did like all these new things he was discovering about her.

When they were waiting in line for the cashier, they kept looking at each other, smiling, and they talked about pointless but funny things that made them laugh a lot. It was a new experience for both of them and Tony couldn't help but think it had been great. If he thought that that was going to (hopefully) happen many other times, he couldn't believe that. He felt bursting with joy at the idea of living those little and simple moments with her and he realized that being with her, he hadn't only gained a lover, a person to spend the night with, a woman to kiss and cuddle and take care of. He had got something that he had never thought he needed, but he now couldn't live without: a reason to smile even when he was doing the simplest things, like eating a pizza, or going shopping.


End file.
